As part of the Interstate 76 and Main Street project, ODOT currently plans to flip the westbound traffic of I-76 over on to the eastbound side on Sunday, December 2nd.

The on ramp to 76W from the southbound side of S. Main St. will be CLOSED until late fall of 2019.

For a period of time during the day, the existing off ramp from 76W to Broadway and downtown will close in order for the contractor to do some required paving. Traffic will be detoured using Dart Ave., Thornton and S. Main St. Once this work is completed, traffic will then exit on to the new Broadway off ramp.

(Akron Police Department) At 9 am on July 10th, W. Bowery Street will be closed to all through traffic, between W. Center Street and Water Street, as Cavanaugh Building Company, EDG and Akron Children’s Hospital begin work on a storm sewer connection.

Eastbound traffic from W. Center St. and W. Bowery St. will be detoured using W. Bowery St., W. State St. and S. Main St. Westbound traffic will be detoured using S. High St. and W. State St.

This work is expected to be complete by Friday, July 27th.

Drivers are urged to use caution as other construction projects are currently underway in the immediate area.

An Akron woman is charged with theft after Summit County Sheriff's Office detectives were tipped off that she was pocketing donations to a victim's charity fund.

Back in July, Inspector Bill Holland says the third party manager of the "Walking For You" charity fund notified his office that something wasn't right with the money. The fund was set up to help the families of the victims of the May 28th accident along South Main Street in Coventry Township that left two teenagers dead and seriously injured another. Natasha Boggs, 24, of New Franklin, was charged with two counts of vehicular homicide, two counts involuntary manslaughter, and more, after investigators say she was texting while driving and cross over the marked lines along South Main Street, hitting the group of teens.

After an investigation into the charity fund, Summit Co. Detectives discovered that Melissa Szentes, 40, of Akron, who was volunteering with the "Walking For You" campaign, was taking donations and using them for her own personal gain.

Inspector Holland says that she is currently charged with theft, but more charges are possible, as they aren't sure how much money was actually stolen. The Summit County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone who may have donated to Szentes directly to call their office so that they can determine the total amount stolen.

The smokestacks have been partially cut down at the B.F. Goodrich plant on South Main Street for safety reasons, but the remains of the stacks that were trimmed can now be purchased.

The decision to shorten the northern stack came after the City of Akron was told the cost to preserve it would be around $1 Million, in addition to the growing concern for area residents safety as deterioration was causing loose bricks to fall. Demolition took place earlier this year, knocking off nearly 100 feet from the north stack. The bricks from that demolition were preserved and are now available to buy for $50 apiece, limited to three bricks per person.

“While the partial removal of the northern stack was an unfortunate necessity, it creates a unique opportunity for individuals to own a piece of Akron’s rich industrial history,” Mayor Horrigan said in a press release Thursday.

Thos interested in buying a brick, or three, can visit www.akronohio.gov and click on the "Buy Brick from the BF Goodrich Stack" icon on the site, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. directly.